Having continued with their dominance in the DStv Premiership when they won their fourth title in a row, Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi emphasised they are still hungry for more success in the league.
Sundowns clinched the title after they beat SuperSport United 3-1 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday with three games to spare to record their 11th Premier Soccer League trophy.
“The biggest thing with the team that we have, we had to restructure our play in many ways. We had a foundation from the previous seasons,” Mngqithi told the media after the match.
“There were new players that came in and we tried to find a balance and a system that will work for them and we believe we have achieved a lot in that regard.
“We had a big squad and I think we rotated it better. From time to time, it would have had its challenges, but most of the time we were forced by circumstances to change the team, and whenever we changed the players, they did well.”
With the title now wrapped up with three matches left to play, the coach promised that they would go for the kill in the remaining matches as they look to end on 69 points, starting with Swallows tomorrow at Dobsonville Stadium (5pm).
“The plan is to try and win the next three matches because as a team, we always want to create our benchmarks,” he said. “We would have loved to go beyond the 71 points that we got in one of the championships, but now we can only go as far as 69 points and that’s what we are pushing for.”
The 50-year-old hinted that he could give other players a chance, especially those who have not played much this season.
“I don’t want to promise much because we don’t want to lose much of the rhythm. We have a responsibility in our last cycle of matches that we are supposed to play and we want to win every one.
“We have a big responsibility towards making sure that we set our records. We set our standard as a team and so far, there are a lot of positives."
Hungry Downs target all points in last three games
Mngqithi says champs want to set benchmark
Having continued with their dominance in the DStv Premiership when they won their fourth title in a row, Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi emphasised they are still hungry for more success in the league.
Sundowns clinched the title after they beat SuperSport United 3-1 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday with three games to spare to record their 11th Premier Soccer League trophy.
“The biggest thing with the team that we have, we had to restructure our play in many ways. We had a foundation from the previous seasons,” Mngqithi told the media after the match.
“There were new players that came in and we tried to find a balance and a system that will work for them and we believe we have achieved a lot in that regard.
“We had a big squad and I think we rotated it better. From time to time, it would have had its challenges, but most of the time we were forced by circumstances to change the team, and whenever we changed the players, they did well.”
With the title now wrapped up with three matches left to play, the coach promised that they would go for the kill in the remaining matches as they look to end on 69 points, starting with Swallows tomorrow at Dobsonville Stadium (5pm).
“The plan is to try and win the next three matches because as a team, we always want to create our benchmarks,” he said. “We would have loved to go beyond the 71 points that we got in one of the championships, but now we can only go as far as 69 points and that’s what we are pushing for.”
The 50-year-old hinted that he could give other players a chance, especially those who have not played much this season.
“I don’t want to promise much because we don’t want to lose much of the rhythm. We have a responsibility in our last cycle of matches that we are supposed to play and we want to win every one.
“We have a big responsibility towards making sure that we set our records. We set our standard as a team and so far, there are a lot of positives."